Stefanie Sargnagel

Iowa (Rowohlt) - the new book by Austrian bestselling author Stefanie Sargnagel is an excursion to America. With biting humor and disarmingly honesty, Sargnagel's view of the USA is as unmistakable as her writing: sarcastic, ruthlessly honest and yet full of sympathy, she brings us closer to rural America and gives a heart-warming account of the vital necessity of female friendships, such as with her good friend, the Berlin musician Christiane Rösinger.

In 2022, Stefanie Sargnagel reluctantly swaps her comfortable Viennese sofa for a plane ticket to the USA. In Iowa, she is to teach creative writing at a college in the middle of nowhere. In the small town of Grinnell with its 8,000 inhabitants, there is nothing but endless cornfields. Along for the ride is music legend Christiane Rösinger, and together they set off to explore the nothingness. They find overweight, friendly locals, traditional gender roles, giant supermarkets, incredible sausages and a jar full of pickled turkey gizzards.